Electrical transport properties of CoSi(2) and NiSi(2) thin films.

Transport studies have been performed on thin films of CoSi (2) and NiSi(2) in the temperature range 1 to 300K. The conductivities are metallic with essentially the same temperature dependence; however, the residual resistivities are markedly different even though the two silicides are structurally similar (the room temperature resistivity of NiSi(2) being at least twice that of CoSi(2) of 15 microohm/cm The difference is attributed to intrinsic defects in NiSi(2). This defect has been simulated by ion bombardment of the film where it is also shown that Matthiesen's rule is obeyed over a remarkable range of bombardment doses.